Season of celebrations

They meet in storefronts, business offices, large auditoriums, school cafeterias and under the freeway.

The Record

They meet in storefronts, business offices, large auditoriums, school cafeterias and under the freeway.

They are large - Christian Life Center has a 5,800-seat auditorium - and small - a few people meeting in residential living rooms). They are the churches, mosques, temples and congregations of San Joaquin County.

Following the 2010 census, 312 faith groups were identified countywide with religious adherents totalling 220,000. The county's population hovers around 700,000.

For many, spring brings special observances centered on various faith tenets and cultural events.

Easter, celebrated by Christians, falls on a date that moves every year. The Jewish Passover, which started at sundown Monday, lasts eight days and also moves on the Western calendar.

A look at various celebrations around the county this spring:

Easter: Christianity celebrates Jesus' resurrection Sunday. Greek Orthodox Christianity celebrates the same event according to the Julian, not Gregorian, calendar. For Orthodox followers, Easter is May 5. St. Basil Greek Orthodox Church in Stockton dates its origins to 1929.

Passover: The eight-day Jewish holiday ends Tuesday. It celebrates Jewish liberation from slavery in Egypt more than 3,300 years ago. Temple Israel in Stockton was started in 1850, the same year the city was founded. Jason Gwasdoff has been rabbi since 1993.

Buddhism: Wat Dhammararam Temple on Carpenter Road east of Stockton celebrates its annual Cambodian new year's festival April 13-15. The event has deep spiritual overtones. On the first day, a new god or angel is appointed to protect the world for the year ahead.

Sikhism: Stockton's annual Sikh parade will be held April 14. It is tied to Visakhi, a commemoration of the religion's roots dating back to 1699. "It celebrates the most momentous humanitarian day in history," said Bhajan Bhinder, organizer of last year's 100th Sikh Temple anniversary. "It is the day the 10th guru established fraternity, equality, justice, liberty and brotherhood."

Muslim: San Joaquin County is home to a half-dozen mosques and Muslim associations. None of the faith's major holidays will be held this spring. Ramadan, a month of fasting, moves on the Western calendar and begins July 8 this year.

Chinese: In a ceremony with roots 2,500 years old, the Chinese Benevolent Association will hold its annual Spring Ching Ming (qingming) at noon today. The event - to be held at the Chinese Cemetery of Stockton, at Mathews and Manthey roads - honors loved ones and ancestors. It also is known as Tombs Sweeping Day.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.